Aging, social networks, organizations.
I have always been intrigued by theoretical and empirical puzzles that revolve around social networks and well-being. Specifically, my main interest lies in the study of the dynamic link between social relationships, individual behavior, and health outcomes. Many scholars in social epidemiology have emphasized the positive and negative effects of integration into social networks on health and longevity. Yet the mechanisms through which social networks affect health have not been fully unraveled.
My work has two main foci: the positive and negative outcomes of personal networks, and the dynamics of informal networks in organizations. In my research, I apply state-of-the-art methods for the cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of complete networks and ego networks.
Watch a 2024 interview recorded at my workplace:
Personal networks of older adults
My research on later life examines how personal networks promote or undermine health and well-being in middle-aged and older adults. This work covers both the supportive and the difficult sides of relationships, health advice networks, participation in voluntary associations, and the links between social support, physical activity, loneliness, and depression. I combine large-scale survey data, for example from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), and SHARE, with complete network data and qualitative interviews collected in community settings. One example is the Jeckenstudie in Cologne Carnival clubs. Related work addresses later-life work and retirement.
Key findings
- Older adults with supportive and diverse personal networks more often maintain good cognitive health and live longer.
- Difficult or demanding relationships are associated with poorer mental health, including more loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
- Voluntary associations are an important source of health advice beyond family and friends. Health advice networks overlap only partly with close relationships.
AI-generated podcast summaries (Wondercraft) are available on the antecedents of difficult relationships, the consequences of difficult relationships, and health discussion networks.
Informal networks in organizations
My research on organizations studies informal networks among colleagues, in particular gossip, trust, friendship, and informal status. Gossip, broadly defined as talking about absent third parties, is often assumed to harm employees’ well-being. In contrast to research that treats gossip as individual behavior, my work shows that it is better understood as interaction among multiple interdependent actors. Using complete network data collected over time, together with exponential random graph models (ERGMs) and stochastic actor-oriented models (estimated with RSiena), I examine how gossip co-evolves with friendship, trust, and informal status. Related work addresses how colleagues influence employees’ health behaviors.
Key findings
- Whether employees gossip depends mainly on their trust and distrust in colleagues and managers. Those who trust their colleagues but distrust their managers are most likely to spread negative information.
- Gossip appears to be self-limiting: employees who gossiped a lot lost friends in the organization over time.
